Risky Business
by badasskaban
Summary: Circumstances bring Draco Malfoy back to Hogwarts where he's stuck coming into daily contact with a certain Gryffindor "Mudblood." Walls are broken down, and the heir to the Malfoy throne finds himself entering some risky territories.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1/The Prologue**__._

"Draco," said Narcissa Malfoy in a quavering voice, "come here. _Please_."

Draco Malfoy, sitting in one of his father's leather office chairs, looked up slowly at his mother. She was holding herself together with as much composure as she could manage, but in this case it wasn't much. Her eyes were wide and watering, and her expression was one of true pain. Draco's father, the highly revered Lucius Malfoy, stood by the immense window which overlooked most of the backyard area of Malfoy Manor. His back was turned on his wife and son.

Draco knew it hurt his mother to see him distressed like this, but what could he do? He was exactly that; distressed. He stood up, streched his arms, and slowly strode over to her. She embraced him, and the moment her arms were around him, her composure was gone. She sobbed into her son's broad shoulders, muttering words that Draco could not make out. Lucius walked over to them and placed a firm hand on Narcissa's arm.

"Narcissa, dear, please. You _know_ that this plan is for Draco's safety and _will_ work out," Lucius said with a tone of reassurance and a hint of hardness.

"WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING, LUCIUS," Narcissa shrieked as she lifted her head from Draco's now moist shoulder. "HOW DARE YOU BE SO NAÏVE! THIS IS OUR SON WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. HIS LIFE!"

Had his mother not been so upset, Draco would've smirked or made a sarcastic comment about how his father could care less about Draco's well-being, but now was not the time. Instead, he glanced over at his father's stony expression, but in his eyes, Draco saw what could've been fear, pain, or even both for that matter.

There was a subtle rap on the door to Lucius's study, and Severus Snape walked in, closely followed by Narcissa's infamous sister, Bellatrix Lestrange.

Quickly, Narcissa patted Draco on the cheeks and whispered, "Stay safe, my dear. Don't do anything risky or troublesome. I know this is a wretched situation, and I wished to Godric that it didn't have to be this way, but the Dark Lord has put you through enough, and this is the only choice we have regarding your ensured safety." She brushed a white-blond wisp of hair from his forehead and straightened his black silk neck tie. She gave him a short, but meaningful kiss on the cheek and let a tear slip slowly down her face.

Draco tightly hugged his mother, the only person in the world he truly loved.

"I love you so much, Draco," said Narcissa.

"I-I love you, too, Mum," murmured Draco as nodded and looked at the ground.

His father gripped him roughly on the shoulder and whispered, "Stay safe, my boy. No risky business. Understood?"

Draco looked up and met his father's eyes. Steel gray clashed with icy stone.

"Understood, Father," Draco answered.

Lucius walked swiftly over to Professor Snape and the two exchanged some words. Narcissa moved to Bellatrix's side. When the elder Malfoy and Snape were finished speaking, Lucius joined his wife and sister-in-law and disapparated.

Snape, with an impassive expression on his face, quietly strode up to Draco's side. He handed Draco a silver flask and instrcuted him to drink. As soon as the potion had been swallowed, Draco began to feel every part of the surface of his skin bubble, and then a cool, but calming feeling spread throughout his body. Within a minute, the sensation was gone. He turned to Snape, and Snape, with a nod of approval, pushed a small mirror into Draco's hand.

Draco tenatively looked at the reflection in the mirror. He was no longer Draco Malfoy.

* * *

><p><em><strong>an: **Hi everyone. My name is Rachel, and this is not only my first Dramione fic, it's also my __**first**__ ever FanFic. I'm quite nervous about the outcome. I'll try to update at weekly intervals, as I am balancing an honors student's high school life, and various extra curriculars. This is the first chapter, and I realize it's extremely short, but just bear with me. It's sort of the prologue, to set the stage, but I promise the other chapters will be longer. I love writing, but you will find that I am rarely ever satisfied, so, once again, bear with me. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE comment, critique, respond, etc... your feedback means everything. I love the Dramione fandom and I've read so many beautiful fics, I just really don't want to let this marvelous fandom down, so feedback __**is **__appreciated. Seeing as this is my first story, please don't expect any elaborate story line with plot turns and mysteries, I'm not that creative yet. This story is mostly a dramatic romance, but I promise to try my best and do it justice. I am a sucker for romance._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: **_The characters, spells, titles, names (except for the ones you don't recognize), etc… are property of J.K. Rowling.

**Chapter 2: Playing the Part**

"Draco, I know this change is drastic, but come along. We must be going. Professor McGonagall is expecting us soon," Snape said in a bored voice.

Draco thought about what he was going to do, what his life would become. He never really felt any hatred or dislike towards the Transfiguration professor/Head of Gryffindor house, but he hadn't ever _loved _her either. Draco hadn't been feeling like himself lately, or in other words, hadn't been feeling like a Slytherin. He let himself be pushed around. His life was practically in shambles, his family torn apart, and now, his identity gone. He wanted to vomit.

Snape clicked his tongue and Draco was shifted from his thoughts to reality. He shrugged and took a quick look in the mirror one last time. Dark brown, tousled hair. Sun-kissed skin. Same grey eyes, but no longer framed by white-blonde lashes. His body build was the same, but his facial features weren't as stony and aristocratic as they were before. Draco drank in his new image. He looked down at his clothing; repulsive crimson and gold robes with a prefect's badge. Snape sauntered over and removed something from his pocket. It was Draco's new Gryffindor Head Boy pin. Draco felt his stomach churn and he rolled his eyes. _This badge should really say Head Boy with emerald and silver embellishments, rather than this horrid crimson and gold, _he thought maliciously.

This was going to be a long year.-

There were so many questions Draco had that gone unasked and unanswered. He sat in Professor Minerva McGonagall's office with Snape. A few moments later, McGonagall burst in the doors with a look of anxiety on her slightly wrinkled face.

"Severus," McGonagall said with a curt nod.

"Minerva," Snape responded with the same coolness, "I have brought Mister Malfoy with me."

McGonagall looked quickly over at the brooding figure to Snape's left. She smiled tentatively at Draco and muttered for them to take seats in the chairs she had just conjured. Snape was to explain the full situation to her.

Draco waited with baited breath.

Snape started off as blunt as possible, "Draco's mother and father did not feel he was safe anymore after what the Dark Lord asked of Draco during the previous year. You know, Minerva, what Draco's consequences were had he not done the required task, and you also know that Dumbledore was well aware of everything. You _know_ that Draco has comitted no crime, and he shall be treated justly. Correct?"

McGonagall looked back over to Snape with weary apprehension in her ancient eyes. "Correct, Severus, and I am well aware of...er...the situation with Dumbledore-" she flinched when she said the old headmaster's name, "-but if you would please refrain from bringing it up, that'd be lovely. Now, would you care to tell me why Draco is under some sort of Polyjuice Potion? Because surely, if he is as innocent as we believe, he should be just fine walking around as himself. No?"

"No. Only you and I know the truth, Minerva," Snape stated firmly, "because everyone else is going based of what they heard from Potter."

_Stupid Potter, _thought Draco, _always sticking his nose in business that doesn't concern him. _

"Very well then, Severus. Mister Malfoy, if you would be so kind as to follow me, I will show you to your dorm," McGonagall said as she stood up from behind her desk. Snape rose as well, but Draco was reluctant to go. He didn't trust anyone.

"Draco! Now! Don't be a child," reprimanded Snape. Draco stood and strode haughtily over to the door where Snape and McGonagall were waiting impatiently.

"You will be on your best behavior, yes Mister Malfoy?" asked McGonagall.

"Yes," responded Draco.

"And you will treat your Gryffindor housemates with respect, including your partial roommate, yes Mister Malfoy?" asked McGonagall again.

"Yea-wait... A partial roommate?" Draco asked as he shot Snape a nervous glance.

"Well not a roommate, per se. You will share a common room and bathroom with the head girl. Bedrooms, for obvious reasons, are set apart and they are blocked my password locks. We can't have any funny business," McGonagall looked uncomfortable, while Draco just rolled his eyes.

_Funny business._

Snape decided to break the awkward silence by inquiring about the current head girl.

McGonagall looked over at Snape with an incredulous expression. "Hermione Granger, of course, Severus. Who else would you expect?"

"A MUDBLOOD? I HAVE TO SHARE A COMMON ROOM AND A BLOODY BATHROOM WITH THAT...THAT...THAT FILTH?" shouted Draco.

Loudly and with a bit of protectiveness in her voice, McGonagall told Draco, "We will not have any of that this year, Mister Malfoy. Hermione Granger is one of the smartest witches to pass through Hogwarts and as you can see, blood status and brains have nothing to do with each other."

she said this, Draco felt like smirking. He was thinking about his pureblood friends; Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, and even Zabini. None of them could ever match Draco, or Granger for that matter, when it came to intelligence. But he wouldn't satisfy McGonagall that way. but letting her know his most recent thought. Blood was blood. Draco's was pure, Granger's was muddy.

When the trio finally approached the Head Students' dormitory, Draco was ready to introduce himself as Alexander Brickman, Gryffindor Head Boy.

Although this Polyjuice Potion was a specially created one made for Draco by Snape himself, there were still some things Draco had to work on, such as his voice. Draco tried different voice tones and accents, but he knew he wouldn't be able to feign an accent every time he spoke. He also only had a twelve hour time span from when he drank the potion until it wore off. Classes at Hogwarts began at 8 am, which meant that he only had from eight to eight every day until the potion wore off and he was back to Draco.

McGonagall stopped at a medium-sized door on the left side of the hallway. She knocked and notified Draco that this was his new dorm. There was no answer at the door, so McGonagall knocked again. Still no answer, so she removed her wand and whispered "_Alohamora_" just as Hermione Granger opened the door.

Her thick, wild mess of hair was set in a braid that hung to just about an inch above the small of her back. Curls were flying out of it in every direction, and she had light pink blush to her cheeks as if she had been running. Her hazel eyes widened as she saw the company that stood at her door; Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and a very handsome boy Hermione had never seen before. She greeted them all with a smile, including Snape, and welcomed them into her dorm.

The common room was a scattered mess of books and parchment, but with a flick of her wand and a muttered _Scourgify _ charm, Hermione was able to make space on the sofa for her guests.

"Miss Granger, this is Alexander Brickman. He is a transfer student from Durmstrang and he has been newly appointed as Head Boy, seeing as our previously appointed Head Boy, er, no longer attends this school and Alexander's grades were higher than any other of the possible Head Boy choices here at Hogwarts," McGonagall lowered her eyes and glanced quickly at Draco. He nodded and she continued, "He is a very brilliant young man and I hope you two will get along well enough. He has been sorted into Gryffindor, if that makes matters easier. Professor Snape and I shall be leaving now, but I'd greatly appreciate it, Miss Granger, if you'd show Alexander to his room. The time is seven fifty four."

Draco's head shot up. He took the polyjuice potion at eight-oh-three in the morning, which meant he had nine minutes now before he'd go back to being Draco. Granger wasn't allowed to know his secret. He _needed _to keep this hidden. The two professors left as swiftly as possible, and Hermione stood. She smiled genuinely at Draco, and he felt a strange sensation because of it. He instantly grimaced and Granger's smile faltered. _Much better, _thought Draco.

"Right, well, your private bedroom will be to your left. Mine is on the right, obviously. The bathroom is this way, and I'm sure you've heard, we're required to share," she looked at him with a sheepish look on her face, "this here is the common room, and that's pretty much it."

"Excellent. Thank you, Gra-... er, I mean yes, thank you," Draco muttered. Amazing, it was barely even his first day as this Alexander character and he'd almost blown his cover.

Hermione looked up at Draco swiftly and smiled again, but this wasn't a genuine one. She looked almost worried. "You can call me Hermione. My name is Hermione Granger."

Draco nodded, and headed towards his room. He swiftly locked the door and checked the time on his solid gold pocket watch. 8:01. Close call. He crashed onto the bed, completely ignoring the crimson-and-gold silk duvet. Day 1 of this ordeal had begun. Now, he only had about two-hundred more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Cordial Introductions**

Today was Saturday, and Hermione woke with a start. She looked at her clock and saw that it was 10:40 am. _Oh blimey, I better get up, _she thought. As soon as she stood up, she remembered the events of the previous night; McGonagall and Snape barging into her room unannounced and presenting her with a new roommate. Alexander Brickman, Durmstrang transfer and recently sorted Gryffindor. _Well, _thought Hermione with a hint of excitement, _he can't be all that bad if he's a Gryffindor. Plus, he was quite handsome._

She pulled on a sleeping robe and stepped out into the shared common room. She peered over quickly to steal a glance at his room and saw that his door was wide open. His bed wasn't made, but there appeared to be no one in it. She heard a toilet flush and shifted her eyes quickly to the bathroom door.

Draco muttered a quick _Scourgify _to clean his hands and opened the door. There, in all her pajama glory, was the mudblood. Her eyes widened and he soon realized she was staring at his well-formed and naked torso. He snickered without thinking and said, "What? Never seen anything as beautiful as this before? I'm sure-" he broke off abruptly realizing that he was not Draco, but Alexander, and a Gryffindor wouldn't be this cocky.

Hermione blushed and averted her eyes to floor.

"Sorry, I-I wasn't expecting you to...uh..._emerge_ from the bathroom like, like that," stuttered Hermione.

Draco laughed flakily. He looked over at Granger and said, "I was only joking, Granger."

Hermione's head snapped up. She hadn't heard her surname used as her first name since the days of Draco Malfoy poisoning the Hogwarts halls.

"Well, I was just going to dress quickly and grab a quick bite of breakfast. Would you like to join me? It's rather late in the morning, even for a Saturday, but I think there will still be food available..." Hermione's words slowly faded out in Draco's mind.

_My Godric does she babble, _thought Draco.

"Sure, I'll join you. Just, uh, let me get dressed," he responded to Hermione. She was still talking so his response seemed to be more of an interruption.

"Right, I'll dress too," Hermione said as she hastily walked back to her room.

Draco-as Alexander-and Hermione were now back in the Head Students' common room. Granger appeared to be working on some sort of Arithmancy chart, while Draco sat and looked through some books.

"So, Alex," Hermione began as she put her homework away, "not to seem rude, but your entrance was a bit abrupt. What made you decide to come to Hogwarts? I've hear Durmstrang is quite a nice school."

_Who the hell'd you hear that from, Mudblood? Krum? Probably,_ thought Draco.

"Well, this whole war brewing with the Dark Lord caused my parents to become a little over protective, and they felt that Hogwarts was a better refuge for me." _Well, at least the whole thing wasn't a lie._

A few minutes passed and Hermione finally said, "Well they were right."

All Draco could hope for was that Granger would stop prodding. He'd always known the mudblood to be Potty's sidekick and the Weasel's argue buddy, but apparently she _was_ an annoying, nosy, know-it-all.

Almost as if Granger could read his thoughts, she stood up slowly and said, "I'm sorry. It's quite rude of me to prod," a longing look appeared in her eyes, "my friends are out fighting the war, too. Left me here to do private research on these things called horcruxes." She continued to walk over to a small framed photo on the wall.

Draco felt awkward, as if he should do something. His mind was already messed up at seeing his old Slytherin friends: Goyle, Zabini, and Pansy, gathered at their table in the Great Hall. How much he'd wanted to join them. Instead, he was constantly being looked at, and even stupid Gryffindor floozies-Lavender and Parvati, was it?-were fluffing their hair and make what were supposed to be seductive faces at him.

He was much to annoyed to care about anything, but then again, he couldn't show his annoyance, as he was currently Alexander.

"So, uh..." began Draco, "are these your 'horcrux' hunting friends?" He didn't even have a clue what the hell a horcrux was.

He was now looking at the picture on the wall; Weasley, Potter, and a smiling Granger were standing with their arms around each other in what appeared to be their fifth year at Hogwarts. _Pathetic,_ thought Draco.

Hermione looked up at Draco, not even knowing he had approached, and stated with a shakey voice, "Yes this one, the ginger, is Ron Weasley. This one is the famous Harry Potter. Surely you've heard of him?"

"No."

Hermione's eyes doubled in size as she breathed, "You, you haven't? 'The Boy Who Lived'? 'The Chosen One'? No?"

Draco decided to play this for it was worth. "Nope, I haven't. Perhaps you can tell me about him?"

"Oh, of course! He's my best friend," responded Hermione with such real enthusiasm that Draco almost vomitted. Almost.

"But first, Granger, I'd like you to tell me the name of that blond-haired boy in the background."

Hermione rolled her eyes, Draco didn't know if it was a response to his calling her Granger again or if she just didn't want to talk about Draco, but she told him evenly, "Well his name is Draco Malfoy. He's, or I mean, he _was _in Slytherin. He doesn't go here anymore though. His parents are death eaters and I'm positive he's joined them. He was actually supposed to be the Head Boy, but seeing as he left, he can't be," Hermione grinned with pride as she said this, "but anyways, I never really had any severe problems with him, well, no, there was one time, but otherwise he was always attacking Harry or Ron. He called me a mudblood often. Of course, I didn't want to give Malfoy the satisfaction of how much it hurt me-I mean what could I do? It's not like _I _could control the fact that I was a witch born to muggles-so I just ignored it," she stopped here, and Draco assumed she was done, but she continued," He's quite cunning, but annoying also. He comes from a very wealthy pureblood family and he thinks he deserves the right to everything. He always threatened us with 'My father will hear about this,' but I doubt his father ever did. Sweet Salazaar, if _my _child was owling me every day complaining about stuff as much as Malfoy did, the child would no longer have a face! I personally don't think Malfoy is a good representative of the supposedly perfect traits of a pureblood, the poor thing actually seems to be severely misguided, only looking for his father's approval. I'm just going to stop there, he's gone anyways, and he wasn't a very nice person. We _didn't_ get along," Hermione stopped, irritation shining through in her voice and shame in her eyes for sympathizing even just a little with stupid Malfoy.

Draco stared at Hermione with an incredulous look on her face. _How could this bitch even think about saying what she just did about me? Purebloods have all superiorty over you muddy-blood filled muggle-borns! _Draco's mind was racing for statements to justify himself, but Hermione sauntered off back to her room.

_So if this is how Granger's gonna be, then so be it. We'll play it your way, you filthy. litte. mud. blood, _Draco thought as he slammed the door to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello! I REALLY apologize for the time it took me to upload this chapter. It was actually done for a while, but from a mixture of procrastination, extra-curriculars, and school, I was unable to edit or even do anything with it. Please review, I apologize once again!_

_Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it._

**Chapter 4: Identity Crisis**

It was now October third. Draco had been at Hogwarts for exactly one month. He was quite proud of how well his identity scheme was going. There was, of course, one instance when he nearly blew his cover a few nights before, but he was able to save himself.

_There he was, sitting with Granger, in the Head Students' common room. He was working on a Potions essay while she was translating something for Ancient Runes. Hermione had just come from dinner, Draco from Snape's office._

"_You know," Granger began, "it's nice to see you have such a good bond with Professor Snape. He tends to really despise Gryffindors."_

_Draco looked up from his nearly complete essay. "Uh right, well, he was the first teacher I met upon coming here. Perhaps he took a liking to me."_

"_Seems like it. He really hates my friend Harry-" Hermione broke off as Draco grinned. But then he saw the longing look on her face and realize she was thinking about Scarhead and it upset her, "-but he hates Ron, and me, and even Neville. You know Neville, right?"_

"_The fat, awkward one?"_

"_That's rude Alex," Hermione said softly._

"_Right. My apologies," Draco muttered. Oh how he hated himself for having to apologize to this Mudblood because he criticized stupid Longbottom._

_They talked for a little more, mostly brief comments here and there. Draco was soon finished with his essay, which was good because his eyes were fighting off the urge to shut. He decided he'd lie down and rest for a few moments before he started his History of Magic homework. He despised that class… only took it because Head Boy requirements entail more classes than regular students… lecture after lecture… soon, Draco's thoughts drifted off and he was asleep._

_Hermione stared at the handsome figure asleep on the sofa. Sleep made people look so innocent, so pure, so kind. She snapped out of her trance. She couldn't do this to Ron. Or could she? After all, he snogged Lavender Brown and appeared to have enjoyed it. He never tried to do that to her, even though she believed her feelings for him were quite apparent. For Godric's sake, even Harry had noticed. An aching feeling was creeping into her body. She missed her two best friends. Hermione felt a large tear slip down her cheek. She hoped they were safe, she wished she could be there to help them find the horcruxes, and she at least hoped for an owl or something from them. But no, there was nothing. To be honest, they could both be dead and she'd never know. Her body was suddenly seized with trembling, and her face with tears. She sat and silently cried a little more. She finally got a hold of herself and checked the clock. It was only 8:15 at night and she still had a large portion of her Ancient Runes homework to translate, but all she really wanted was the sanctuary of her bed. Hermione glanced back over at Alex. He was still sleeping, but his skin color had paled immensely. Perhaps it was the light? Or maybe a nightmare? Or worse, maybe he was getting sick. She decided to wake him._

"_Alex," she shook him slightly, "wake up."_

_Draco's eyes flew open to reveal Granger hovering over him. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were tear-stained. _

"_What the hell? You couldn't have found a more subtle way to wake me up? Shit, Granger," as he said this, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, only to notice his hands beginning to whiten. _Oh bloody hell_, he thought._

_Hermione was backing away slowly as she said, "I know, I'm sorry. I-I was just getting worried because when I looked over at you and you were pale…and…and…I didn't know if you were alright. Do you feel alright?"_

"_No," answered Draco, "what time is it?"_

"_It's 8:19."_

_Instantly Draco flew up from the couch. He dashed to his room and slammed the door. _Close call, _he thought. He removed his clothes and put on a night robe. Using a goblet of water he conjured up, he brushed his teeth on the balcony, avoiding the bathroom and any possible run-ins with Granger, and went immediately to sleep. He didn't want to face an interrogation from Detective Mudblood yet, even though he knew it was inevitable._

Draco woke up that morning with an awful headache. He couldn't remember having a nightmare, or dreaming at all for that matter, but it felt like his brain was pounding. He could hear Granger getting ready in their bathroom. He waited a few minutes for her to finish up, and then, as soon as she opened the door, he nearly trampled her down and slammed the door shut in her face. He realized it was a little rude, but he didn't want Granger to start questioning him about the precious night.

When Draco was finished, he dashed back to his room, drank the day's flask of Polyjuice Potion, and went to the shared common room area. Granger was in the kitchenette portion of her dorm when he knocked on the door. She was peering into the cabinet—which led directly to the Hogwarts main kitchen—and receiving her meal directly from the house elves. Draco could hear her actually thanking them all, her tone sugary sweet and gratifying. Draco was repulsed.

"So, no breakfast in the Great Hall today, Granger," Draco asked as she opened the door.

"No," she answered quite tersely. She pushed passed him back into their common room area and picked up some scattered essay papers that she hadn't put away before going to sleep.

Draco was a tad taken aback by this animosity in Granger's tone. What had _he _done?

"You _do _realize I was only trying to help you last night, right? You looked ill. I didn't mean to frighten you or anything, so there was no need for your behavior," said Hermione rather rapidly as she strode to the door.

"You didn't mean to scare me but you _did_," Draco responded, "perhaps if you would've just tapped me or something-" but he was cut off abruptly by Hermione.

"Why did you rush off to your room so quickly after I told you the time?"

Draco paused, he had not thought of an excuse for this. "I wasn't feeling well."

Hermione continued, "Yes but you-" It was Draco's turn to cut her off now.

"I don't understand why it's even any of your business Granger."

And with that, turned on her heel and stormed out of the dorm.

After dinner that night, Draco was supposed to be meeting with Snape. His Polyjuice Potion stock was running low, and he needed to somehow get ahold of his parents, or at least his mother. As he was leaving the Great Hall, he passed Granger. She waved at him, but he completely ignored her and continued on to Snape's office. Her scent lingered in the hall for a little while, as the direction Draco was heading to was the one from which she had just come. It smelled familiar, like his mother's but not as strong. This one was more of a vanilla-with-a-hint-of-gardenia, while his mother's was more of an overpowering gardenia-with-a-hint-of-vanilla. _Why am I even thinking of her bloody smell? _He thought to himself. He had obviously subconsciously gotten used to, and maybe even enjoyed, Granger's scent. This smell brought a large wave of longing over him, and he began to sprint to Snape's office.

Draco knocked on the door and let himself in. He still had about two hours remaining of the Polyjuice Potion, but he needed to be quick. He had an Ancient Runes translation due the next day and he was going to need the Mudblood's help.

"Evening, Draco," said Snape in his usual lazy drawl.

"Snape, er, Professor, I just came by for the refills."

"Right," said Snape as he stood up swiftly from his chair and went into his stock closet. Draco looked around until his eyes landed upon a mirror in the corner of the room. He walked over to it and stared at his reflection. Although he couldn't deny the good genes this Alexander character had, Draco was unhappy with his new appearance. Perhaps it was the ugly gold-and-crimson knitted scarf that was wrapped cozily around his neck, or maybe it was the robes he was required to wear; black but with the Gryffindor crest; a lion in a most noble stance. _Stupid Gryffindors, _thought Draco to himself.

Snape emerged a few minutes later with the case of Polyjuice Potion refills for Draco.

"Now, I'm going to begin the work on next month's batch, but I will advise you to drink this in moderation. Do not stay up later than you need to or wake up earlier than you need to. There are still some minor side effects to this potion that I have yet to figure out. The less you have in your system, the better. Now, tell me Draco, how has everything been? We've yet to have a good talk about this topic, as I believe you have been avoiding it, but now I _must _know, how is life as a Gryffindor," inquired Snape almost cynically.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Peachy."

"Hmm, is that so?"

"No. No, and you know it. I can't deal with Granger. She's always crying about stupid Potter and Weasley. She obviously misses them. Sometimes she even complains about _me!" _exclaimed Draco.

"You? Why you? Surely you have been an admirable Gryffindor?" Snape's voice stayed level, but his expression was mocking.

"Not Alexander. _Me_. Draco."

Snape now looked a bit amused, but he did not pry anymore. "I suppose you would like to Floo your mother?" Draco nodded. "Very well. We shall contact her through the fire place."

As soon as Snape had tossed the powder in and spoken her name, Malfoy's full body appeared out of the flames. She stepped out of the fire place, dusted herself off, and made a mad dash towards Draco. She seized his face in her hands and stroked his cheeks. It was as if he was never even disguised, but back to his normal self. Narcissa's eyes filled with tears and Snape momentarily stepped out of the room. She continued to stare at Draco.

"I miss you Draco. _We _miss you. It's been so difficult. The pressure that the Dark Lord has put on your father is too much for us to handle, especially with you gone. It pains me, Draco, in ways you cannot understand. I am just so grateful I was able to visit with you tonight. Oh…" and she broke out into sobs and held her son close. Draco patted his mother's back tenderly.

"I've missed you too, Mum. Tell father I say hello," whispered Draco.

He grabbed his mother's hand and escorted her back to the fireplace. She clung to him once more and whispered "I love you," before stepping back into the fireplace with her hand full of floo powder. Instantly she was gone, and a great wave of relief contaminated with sadness washed over Draco. _At least she knows I am okay, _he thought to himself. Snape stepped back into his office.

Draco finally reached his dorm a good fifteen minutes later. He immediately began work on his Ancient Runes translations, doing the ones he knew by heart and saving the ones he didn't for Granger. He was on the last translation when she came back. She had a pinkish tint to her cheeks and her wild curls were even wilder than usual, hanging prettily over her shoulders. She nearly glowed in the firelight and her eyes danced. Draco didn't mean to stare as long as he did, but she was looking almost radiant.

"Ah, excellent, you're back. I need some help with these translations."

She sat down next to him without an objection, and began to work. Soon she was finished and she looked up and smiled and Draco. He found himself returning the smile accidentally. As soon has he realized it though, he looked away.

"So, why are you so excited," he began.

"I'm just very happy, that's all. You see, my friends Ron and Harry, you know… the ones I've told you about? Right, well they've been on a… a journey trying to find these things that will help us to defeat the Dark Lord, and they've found one already! That's really all I can say, if you knew the circumstances better you'd understand, but unfortunately, that is not my information to reveal." Without thinking, Hermione patted Draco on the leg and stood up.

"Right, well… thank you for the help, I suppose," said Draco as he went into his bedroom. The potion would be wearing off in less than ten minutes. As he dressed for sleep, his curious mind wandered to the mission that Potty and the Weasel were on. _Defeating the Dark Lord? Puh-lease, _thought Draco, Potty defeating the Dark Lord was as likely as Draco ever falling in love with Hermione.

It was now around two o'clock in the morning. Draco woke suddenly with his thoat parched. He needed something to quench his thirst, and he needed it quick. What was this sudden thirst? Without thinking, he opened his bedroom door and creeped across the common room into his mini kitchenette. Without making any noise, he summoned a house-elf from the magical cabinet that led to the main kitchen and requested 3 glasses of ice cold water. The wait, which seemed like years, was intolerable. Draco sat, staring at the open cabinet waiting for the elf to return with glasses of ice cold water; condensation dripping down the sides. He was so thirsty that he believed that if he looked into the Mirror of Erised, he'd see himself surrounded by unlimited amounts of water. Soon the elf was back, and he drank all three glasses greedily. He shut the cabinet door softly in the elf's face and attempted to return to bed. Unfortunately, he had not noticed that Granger had fallen asleep on the sofa, her Arithmancy textbook open and sprawled across her chest. She looked cold, and Draco, in a spur of the moment, decided to cover her with blankets. As soon as the blankets hit her, however, she awoke with a start. Draco was so shocked by her sudden awakening that he was frozen in his tracks.

Groggily Hermione said, "What the-? _Malfoy?_"

Her eyes had finally adjusted to her surroundings and she stared. In what was supposed to be Alex's doorway stood none other than Draco Malfoy. _Impossible_, thought Hermione. She rubbed her eyes, but by the time she had pulled her hands away, Alex, or Malfoy, was gone, and she sat staring at his door until sleep overcame her again.

Draco stood on the other side of his door panting. Another close call. Granger had caught him this time. He got back into bed knowing full well that he would not be sleeping. No, instead, he'd spend the remainder of his night thinking up ideas to try and dissuade Granger of what she saw. He considered lying and denying, but the Mudblood was too smart for him. Instead, he settled with a memory charm.

Before he went back to sleep, he contemplated more lies. Then, when his eyes were more than ¾ of the way shut, he staggered back to where Granger was sleeping, pointed his wand and whispered, _"Obliviate."_

_Yes, that should do the job nicely, _he thought as the darkness of sleep took over his senses.


End file.
